Bulletin, Record, Progressive, Reporter Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014 11B
COMMUNITY
PERSPECTIVE
Prop 47 threatens treatment programs, smallbusinesses
I urge your "no" vote on
Proposition 47 this November.
While billed as "The Safe
Neighborhoods and Schools
Act," this initiative is neither,
and will only serve to harm
Plumas County.
Prop. 47 reduces illegal drug
possession to a misdemeanor.
Everything from possessing
the date-rape drug (GHB), to
crack cocaine, to
methamphetamine becomes a
misdemeanor. In Plumas
County we know all too well
WHERE I STAND
DAVID HOLLISTER
PLUMAS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY
the horrible toll
methamphetamine can take
on our community.
The rehabilitative approach
we use through Drug Court
and other mandated programs
are beginning to show positive
dividends. When we are able
to assist an addict in reaching
sobriety we help not only the
addict, but that person&apos;s
family, friends and
community. Prop. 47 would
remove the incentive for
defendants charged with
crimes such as possession of
methamphetamine to get the
help they need and would
likely serve as the death knell
for successful programs such
as Drug Court.
Prop. 47 makes all theft
crimes a misdemeanor,
regardless of whether the
perpetrator has one prior theft
conviction or 50, as long as the
loss is under $950. By
eliminating the ability to
charge offenders who are
repeatedly convicted of theft
with a felony, Prop. 47 greatly
removes one of the main
weapons in deterring thieves
from stealing and puts our
small businesses at risk.
Prop. 47 makes no
distinction through which the
level of the crime could be
upgraded depending on what
was stolen. For example,
under Prop. 47, if a handgun
worth less than $950 is stolen
the perpetrator can only be
charged with a misdemeanor.
Currently, the theft of any
handgun is considered a
felony and a "strike" because
of the understanding people
who steal handguns often do
so to commit violent crimes.
Prop. 47 makes all forgeries
a misdemeanor, no matter
how many prior theft
convictions, if the amount of
the loss remains lower than
$950. This change will directly
impact our small business
owners by basically
decriminalizing forgery
charges and inconveniencing
their customers, who will
likely no longer be able to
enjoy the convenience of
writing a check when they
shop locally.
Please join me and every
major law enforcement and
crime victim organization in
California in voting no on
Proposition 47.
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Guidelines for letters
All letters must contain an
address and phone number.
Only one letter per week per
person will be published; only
one letter per person per
month regarding the same
topic will be published.
Feather Publishing does not
print third-party, anonymous
or open letters. Letters must
not exceed 300 words. Writers
responding to previously
published letters may not
mention the author by name.
The deadline is Friday at 3
p.m.; deadlines may change
due to holidays. Letters may
be submitted at any of Feather
Publishing's offices, sent via
fax to 283-3952 or emailed to
dmalonald@plumasnavs.mm,
Editor's note: This is the last
edition that eleaion-related
letters will be published in the
paper, unless the letter is a
direct response to a letter
published this weAc Please
direct questions or comments
to Managing Editor Dan
McDonald. He can bereached
at 283-0800 or by email at
dmafonaldplumasewaconz
Compassion
and generosity
A family in our community
Linda Van Dahlen was
unaware her name was on
any political flyer and was
not happy when she found
out about it.
The flyer also said it was
paid for by "I love Portola
Too" and "Portola Concerned
Citizens for Change." These
two groups, who paid for
these flyers, to my knowledge
don't even actually exist,
which bears the question of
ethics, morality and legality.
The actual I Love Portola
Committee is not involved
with supporting any
individual running for any
office. These two "new"
groups are emulating the
originals and are trying to
confuse our ;oters. I am not
sure whether to be flattered
or offended at such a flagrant
display of deception, as I
founded the original I Love
Portola back in January.
Regardless of my feelings on
the matter, I thought it was
important for everyone to
know the truth about the
flyer and the pretext behind
it. Please educate yourself
before casting your ballot
November 4.
Michelle Gault
Portola
has beenSace wJth,a very:
difficult medical situation. ,, : Judd is.owed an apology
Daryl & Irmgard Emis of
Chester were recently told
that Irmgard has ALS, also
known as Lou Gehrig's
disease. Medical and mobility
equipment expenses have
created a serious burden on
the family. In an effort to
help, a community
fundraiser dinner and silent
auction were held on October
4 at the Lake Almanor
Community Church (LACC).
Once again the individuals
and businesses of Lake
Almanor, Chester,
Westwood, Clear Creek,
Greenville and the
surrounding area including
Nevada again demonstrated
the love, compassion and
generosity to step up and
help a local family in need.
Not only was the family
blessed by everyone's
generosity but all of those
that participated in making
the event a success were
equally blessed.
A heart-felt thank you to all
of those who donated items
for the Silent Auction; also to
those that coordinated the
dinner, silent auction, setup,
serving, cleanup, cooking,
advertising, and those that
provided all the incredible
desserts; and especially to all
of you that attended and
donated for the dinner
Larry Larson
Lake Almanor
Be an educated voter
Be the most informed you
can be when you vote. The
State of California sends out
an official voter information
guide which gives you all the
information you need to
make a truly informed
choice. I encourage you all to
use that instead of the
political advertisements I
have seen in the media.
These advertisements try and
influence your vote with
cleverly manipulating your
feelings. These feelings can
be of loyalty, blame, fear,
compassion, and morality
just to name a few. I am sure
you get my point.
I recently received a
political flyer which stated
"we want you to vote for ..."
two business women for
Portola City Council. That
would have been time but,
In last week's newspaper,
our current District 5
Supervisor wrote a highly
critical letter about Mr.
Judd's involvement in the
possible joint venture
between the Plumas County
Sheriffs Department and the
California Highway Patrol.
That letter contained several
accusations and
misstatements of fact that
need to be clarified.
In April, Sheriff Greg
Hagwood, in an article that
appeared in this newspaper,
indicated his interest in
keeping alive the possibility
of the joint venture concept
despite the initial negative
reply by the CHP. Mr. Judd,
as a concerned citizen, took it
upon himself to contact the
sheriff to offer any assistance
in this regard. That contact
resulted in a letter Mr. Judd
wrote to CHP Commissioner
Joe Farrow in early May. Mr.
Farrow responded to the
Board of Supervisors in June
(in a letter addressed to Mr.
Kennedy) that he was willing
to discuss the joint facility
concept in person with the
sheriff.
On September 30, the
offered meeting was held at,
the Sheriffs Office in Quincy.
I personally attended this
meeting with several other
members of the CHP,
Sheriffs Department and two
fire chiefs that also included
Feather Publishing's
managing editor. Mr. Farrow
was quite complimentary of
Mr. Judd and thanked him
for writing his letter. He even
went so far as to state Mr.
Judd "could have been more
animated."
Instead of demeaning Mr.
Judd for initiating positive
action on a very important
issue, it seems our District 5
Supervisor should be grateful
that a concerned constituent
would take it upon himself to
facilitate the CHP/Sheriff
discussions since our District
5 Supervisor had earlier
written off the joint facility
concept in his statements
made in this newspaper on
July 9. Mr. Judd is the one
who is owed an apology for
that acrimonious letter.
Bryan Hansen
Graeagle
Engel can cut red tape
Storey County is a few
minutes east of Reno via
Interstate 80. In its recent
history it was the domicile of
an infamous house of ill
repute. Within the last
several years, entrepreneur
Lance Gilman created a large
industrial park -- the
Reno-Tahoe Industrial Park
-- accessed by the very same
freeway exit as the
aforementioned"house. One
of Mr. Gilman's proudest
achievements was obtaining
a large, regional Walmart
distribution center. Until
recently.
Within the past several
weeks it was confirmed that
Tesla Motors will build a
5,000,000 square foot factory
to build batteries for the
Tesla. Big yellow equipment
began construction while
Nevada governor Sandoval
and Tesla's Elon Musk were
holding the press conference
announcing this coup:
Should the voters of
Plumas County care?
Yes!
The state of Nevada
competed with five or six
other states, including Texas
and California (where the
Tesla is manufactured). The
competition was intense.
Mucti 0f the decisimi :hung on
Tesla's evaluation of the
considerable incentives the
competing states offered.
The final decision came
down not to the incentives,
however, but was based
primarily on the outstanding
cooperation on the part of the
politicians and building
officials in Storey County. In
Elon Musk's judgment,
Storey County would
expedite the permitting
process faster than any other
jurisdiction in any of the
other competing states.
Why should we care? We
all recognize that Plumas
County's economy needs a
boost.
Tesla will employ 6,500 new
employees when their factory
is up and running at
capacity.
In Plumas County it takes
about two months to get a
simple building permit. It
should take only one!
Evidently, Storey County is
nimbler.
We need a supervisor who
can cut through the red tape
and get this county moving.
We need Jeff Engel.
John Olofson
Graeagle,
BerK's actions louder than
worus
If actions speak louder
than words, then Alice Berg
is the most qualified
candidate to fill the position
of District 5 Supervisor.
Most residents of Plumas
County recognize the need to
stimulate our economy.
Many feel that the most
realistic way to do this is to
develop and promote the
tourist industry. Alice is the
only candidate with
experience and expertise in
promoting tourism as a
means to improve our
county's vitality. Alice has
been involved in several
projects, which are already
enhancing tourism and
recreation in Plumas County.
She serves as a board
member of Eastern Plumas
Chamber of Commerce, the
Johnsville Ski Project, the
Plumas Sierra Bicycle Club,
and The Mohawk Valley
Stewardship' Council, which
she also cofounded.
Water is one of Plumas
County's most valuable
assets. Her experience will
help us protect and manage
this indispensable resource
and provide tourist dollars
for our economy. Alice has
founded, co-founded and
served on the board of four
different nonprofits. Two
have dealt with water
resources:
1. Truckee River
Watershed Council which
promotes collaborative
watershed projects including
restoration of the Truckee
and Little Truckee rivers.
These projects attract
volunteers and tourists who
eat, sleep, and recreate.
2. Salt River Watershed
which obtained a $6,000,000
grant for Humboldt
Resources Conservation
District. More dollars for that
county.
Alice has worked with
government agencies which
operate within our county.
An MS in Natural Resource
Management enabled her to
work in DFG (now DFW))
and NOAA as a fisheries
biologist, and also with
USDF. She is currently a
private contractor in her own
business, Alice Berg and
Associates, working as a
liaison between private
citizens and government
agencies to facilitate
agreements. This skill is
exactly what our county
needs to navigate through
governmental bureaucratic
obstacles!
Vote for Alice Berg,
District 5 Supervisor.
Faith Strailey
Quincy
I will write in Berg
Tonight I went to the
District 5 Candidate Forum
in Quincy. The League of
Women Voters did a f'me job
of putting it on. The
candidates were civil and
sincere, and I found them all
personally likeable.
Jim Judd is clearly the
most comfortable in front of a
crowd. He now has a more
solid response to questions
about his residence in the
county. What has bothered
me is not that question, but
the way he let it divert his
campaign on such a minor
point. There will be bigger
pressures in office.
Jeff Engel emphasized his
knowledge of the county and
his acquaintance with the
various department heads.
He was a little awkward, but
I believed him when he said
he was better one on one. I
warmed to Engel generally,
but his offer to connect us to
information on Agenda 21
was a door closer for me. I
respect the principle of
private property. But, even if
you dislike the UN, it isn't
even in the top 100 plausible
threats to America.
All in all, my preference for
Alice Berg was greatly
reinforced. All three
candidates have solid private
sector business credentials.
Berg adds experience in
government and nonprofits.
Moreover, in her various
consulting work, she has
been hired for her expertise
on natural resources and for
promoting recreational
activities. These are big
ticket economic matters in
Plumas?
I very much liked her clear
priorities. We can't give up
on timber, but we have to
push for success on
recreation. Given the value of
the forest for recreation, and
the necessity of thinning
operations to forest health,
these two sectors go together.
Most of all, I liked her
straight answers. I will be
writing her in on my ballot.
Scott Corey
Quincy
Vote for a jump-start
A special meeting of the
Portola City Council was
held to discuss a request by
the only developer interested
in purchasing the
Woodbridge Project. The
Schomae Group is investing
heavily in eastern Plumas
County. They were asking to
consider making
compromises on the previous
contract. The projects of this
developer are beginning to
jump-start the economic
recovery in our county. A
hotel at Nakoma is breaking
ground and Feather River
Inn is making progress.
Our elected decision
makers need to jump-start
our economy. All
development in Portola in the
last decade has failed to
break ground or was
abandoned from rigid
contracts and over
policymakers. It's about time!
While Plumas County has
an above-average turnout at
elections, we have had a
below average of concerned
citizens. Citizens need to do
more than get out and vote
for their friends. They need
to vote to jump-start our
community development and
economic recovery. They
need to implement not just
talk.
Larry F. Douglas
Portola
A boom for Portola?
Nevada's enhancement
package to land Tesla may
reap benefits to Portola.
Commuting to Reno-Tahoe
Industrial park to Tesla's
5-million-square-foot battery
plant would be somewhat
excessive, but renewed
economic confidence in
northern Nevada is bringing
a new warehouse for Amazon
in Lemmon Valley and a
drone manufacturer in Stead.
Amazon will employ 600 to
900 fulltime employees, and
up to 4000 in peak seasons.
(Amazon started flying job
openings on October 15,
starting at $12.25 hr).
Ashima Devices plans to
regulation. Developers and  ,he 200 high-paying jobs
concerned citiZens were i ' 0vei  e het tw0' years at
ignored., Rigictpgil:atiOiiJ -, ]fi.r/illt,.tbhd.:. ,,o
presently enforced by the
community services officer
should be loosened but not
compromised. Our economic
recovery and our community
development should be our
top priority. Our residents
need relief.
The League of Women
Voters provided citizens the
opportunity to address
questions to candidates for
District 5 Supervisor and two
City Council seats.
Concerned citizens attended
both. Some could not vote for
the candidates. Concerned
citizens have made progress
in recruiting new blood. We
have candidates that are no
longer apathetic. We have
also retired the "Old Men's
Club." We have a council
with more diversity. We have
a council that is making
progress with a positive
outlook for the future. We
have leaders not just
Logistically, these two
locations are only a
35-minute commute from
Portola. More importantly,
you skip the "spaghetti
bowl." Having commuted
almost 40 years, this is a huge
advantage. Having lost Bank
of America, declining
property values, overall
lower economic activity,
maybe this tech revolution
and lower gas prices might be
the light in the tunnel.
Brian Luce
Portola
The Tesla factor
You've heard the Tesla
Battery Division will break
ground east of Reno, Nevada.
This supposedly will bring
6,500 new Tesla jobs to their
region. Construction jobs and
real estate will boom.
Secondary support jobs and
schools will also increase
See Letters, page 12B
Contact your elected officials...
PLUMAS COUNTY SUPERVISORS - 520 Main Street, Room 309,
i Quincy, CA 95971; (530) 283-6170; FAX: (530) 283-6288; E-Mail:
pcbs@countyofplumas.com. Individual supervisors can also be
e-mailed from links on the county website, countyofplumas.com
PRESIDENT - Barack Obama, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW Washington, D.C. 20500. (202) 456-1414. Fax: 202-456-2461.
E-mail: whitehouse.gov/contact /
U.S. SENATOR - Dianne Feinstein (D), 331 Hart Senate Office Bldg.,
Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-3841; FAX: 202-228-3954; TrY/TDD:
(202) 224-2501. District Office: One Post Street, Suite 2450, San
Francisco, CA 94104; Phone: (415) 393-0707; Fax: (415) 393-0710
Website: feinstein.senate.gov.
U.S. SENATOR - Barbara Boxer (D). District Office: 501 1 St., Suite 7-600,
Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 448-2787; FAX (916) 448-2563; OR 112 Hart
Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-3553. FAX (202) 228-0454.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, 1ST DIST. - Doug LaMalfa. 506 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-3076. lamalfa.house.gov.
DISTRICT OFFICES: 1453 Downer St., Suite #A, OroviUe, CA 95965; 2885
Chum Creek R., Suite #C, Redding, CA 96002.
STATE SENATOR, 1st DIST. - Ted Gaines. State Capitol, Room 3070,
Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 651-4001, FAX: (916) 324-2680. E1 Dorado
Hills Constituent Service Center: 4359 Town Center Boulevard, Suite 112,
E1 Dorado Hills, CA 95762. (916) 933-7213, FAX (916) 933-7234; Redding
Constituent Service Center. 1670 Market St., Suite 244, Redding, CA!
96001, (530) 225-3142, FAX (530) 225-3143.
STATE ASSEMBLYMAN, 1ST DIST. - Brian Dahle, State Capitol,
Room 2174, Sacramento, CA 94249, (916) 319-2001; FAX (916) 319-2103.
District Office, 2080 Hemsted Dr., Ste. #110, Redding, CA 96002;
(530) 223-6300, FAX (530) 223-6737. ]
GOVERNOR -Jerry Brown, office of the Governor, State!
Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814. Website: gov.ca.gov/ ]
(916) 445-2841. FAX: (916) 558-3160.
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